Agni Purana — Dharma-shastra, Shloka 51
Prāyaścitta — Definitions of Killing, Brahmahatyā, and Graded Expiations
यत् पुंसः परदारेषु तच्चैनां कारयेद्व्रतं रेतः सिक्त्वा कुमारीषु चाण्डालीषु सुतासु च
yat puṃsaḥ paradāreṣu taccaināṃ kārayedvrataṃ retaḥ siktvā kumārīṣu cāṇḍālīṣu sutāsu ca
Anumang penitensiya ang itinakda para sa lalaki sa pakikipagtalik sa asawa ng iba, iyon ding panata ang dapat ipagawa sa babae, kapag siya’y nagpasok ng semilya sa mga dalagang birhen, sa mga babaeng Caṇḍāla, at sa sarili niyang mga anak na babae.
Lord Agni (narrating dharma and expiations, traditionally to Vasiṣṭha)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Vrata","practical_application":"States a parity rule: the same expiatory vow prescribed for a man’s adultery is to be applied to a woman in specified transgressive sexual acts, guiding assignment of prāyaścitta.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Commentary","entry_title":"Penance parity principle for sexual misconduct (male rule applied to female cases)","lookup_keywords":["paradāra","prāyaścitta","vrata","strī-doṣa","agamya"],"quick_summary":"The verse directs that the vow prescribed for a man’s intercourse with another’s wife should be imposed correspondingly on a woman in certain prohibited acts, establishing a rule of expiation equivalence."}
Concept: Dharma-texts often apply rule-by-analogy (atideśa): an established penance is extended to parallel cases to maintain normative consistency.
Application: In prāyaścitta adjudication, map penalties by equivalence when a direct rule is not separately enumerated.
Khanda Section: Prāyaścitta & Dharma-vidhi (Expiations for sexual misconduct)
Primary Rasa: karuna
Secondary Rasa: bibhatsa
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A juridical-ritual instruction scene: a dharma-judge/priest indicating that an existing penance rule is to be applied by analogy, with two parallel columns on a palm-leaf—‘male case’ and ‘female case’—symbolically represented.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, priest with stylus and palm-leaf, two-column rule diagram, figures shown modestly and symbolically, strong outlines, didactic temple aesthetic.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, gold-embellished manuscript panel showing ‘rule equivalence’, central dharma-teacher figure, ornamental border, restrained narrative symbolism.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore painting, clear instructional chart motif, calm interior with manuscript stand, emphasis on pedagogy and procedure.","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, legal consultation in a study, scribe writing parallel cases, detailed manuscripts and inkpot, subdued moral seriousness."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"grave","suggested_raga":"Bhairav","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: तच्चैनां = तत् + च + एनाम्; कारयेद्व्रतं = कारयेत् + व्रतम्.
Related Themes: Agni Purāṇa 173.50 (procedure reference); Agni Purāṇa 173 (sexual misconduct expiations context)
FAQs
It specifies a prāyaścitta rule: the same penance assigned to a man for violating another’s marriage is to be applied to a woman in analogous transgressive sexual acts, framed as a prescribed vrata (expiatory observance).
Beyond mythology, the Agni Purana compiles practical dharma material—legal-ethical norms and expiations (prāyaścitta)—showing its role as a handbook of social-religious regulation alongside its many other sciences and arts.
The verse treats certain sexual transgressions as generating serious impurity and karmic fault, to be countered through an equivalent, formally prescribed expiatory vow (vrata) aimed at purification and moral restoration.